Narasimha Lila Explained: The Fierce Avatar of Vishnu

In the Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu, the Narasimha form was especially incarnated to protect his devotee from the evil demon king, Hiranyakashipu.

It has shown the protective and fierce side of the Supreme Lord, as Lord Narasimha, when He rescued His pure devotees, such as Prahlada.

Let's walk through the Narasimha Lila and figure out why it is known to be very popular in the Vedic scriptures.

Prahlada – The Ideal Devotee

The narration of Narasimha Lila is focused on the unwavering devotion of a five-year-old child, Prahlada.

He was the prince of the demon dynasty and the son of Hiranyakashipu. From his very early childhood years, he started to chant Lord Vishnu's name and worship Him.

Prahlada was a unique child with totally different qualities from the entire demonic family. He was a king, humble, intelligent, and heartily devoted to Lord Vishnu.

When the children of his age were busy playing with each other, he was spending his entire time chanting and dancing to the holy names of Lord Vishnu.

His father was not happy to realize that he was devoted to the one he hates the most, Lord Vishnu. So, he appointed some teachers to tutor Prahlada on what a demon should be.

Even after so many lessons of hate, domination, and cruelty, Prahlada was standing still to his faith and devotion towards Lord Vishnu.

Getting tired of this, he tried many times to kill his son, but failed every time. It's because the Lord was protecting Him from every obstacle.

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 5, it is said:

"श्रीप्रह्राद उवाच
श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णो: स्मरणं पादसेवनम् ।
अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥ २३ ॥
इति पुंसार्पिता विष्णौ भक्तिश्चेन्नवलक्षणा ।
क्रियेत भगवत्यद्धा तन्मन्येऽधीतमुत्तमम् ॥ २४ ॥"

~ŚB 7.5.23-24

Translation:

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.

One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.

Hiranyakashipu and the Boon of Brahma

The demon king, Hiranyakashipu, wasn't just a ruler, but a powerful warrior with a blessed boon.

Many years ago, when Lord Varah deva killed his twin brother Hiranyaksha, he started to perform a penance to please Lord Brahma and became powerful.

Lord Varah deva was also a divine form of Lord Vishnu. And, Hiranyakashipu wanted to defeat Lord Vishnu, so that he could become the God and be worshiped like one.

Once the penance was completed, Lord Braham was pleased with his tapasya and asked him for any blessing or boon. Without wasting any time, Hiranyakashipu asked not to be killed by any of the following:

i) Any man or animal

ii) Any live or dead weapon

iii) Neither inside nor outside the Palace.

iv) Neither in day nor night.

v) Neither on earth nor in the sky.

It is clearly mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavtam, Canto 7, Chapter 3:

ŚB 7.3.37-38

व्यसुभिर्वासुमद्भ‍िर्वा सुरासुरमहोरगै: ।
अप्रतिद्वन्द्वतां युद्धे ऐकपत्यं च देहिनाम् ॥ ३७ ॥
सर्वेषां लोकपालानां महिमानं यथात्मन: ।
तपोयोगप्रभावाणां यन्न रिष्यति कर्हिचित् ॥ ३८ ॥

Translation:

'Grant me that I will not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you on the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time'.

After getting the boon, Hiranyakashipu started spreading his terror on the earth and the heavens. He desired to be worshiped like the most powerful and superior one.

Out of his anger, he also tortured the devotees of Lord Vishnu to death. He burned down many houses of the devotee families, including the sages, their wives, and their children.

Appearance of Lord Narasimha

When Hiranyakashipu noticed that all his efforts to kill Prahlada were gone in waste. He tried to kill him with his own hands.

At the time when Prahlada reached the assembly court of the palace, his father challenged him to call his God, or he'll kill him that very moment.

Pahlada said that the Lord is already everywhere. Listening to this, his father protested and asked his son if the Lord is in the pillars, and he calmly replied- yes.

Accepting the challenge, Lord Narsimbha(a half-man, half-lion form) emerged from the pillars as soon as Hiranyakashipu hit it with his weapon.

It is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 8, as:

"सत्यं विधातुं निजभृत्यभाषितं
व्याप्तिं च भूतेष्वखिलेषु चात्मन: ।
अद‍ृश्यतात्यद्भ‍ुतरूपमुद्वहन्
स्तम्भे सभायां न मृगं न मानुषम् ॥ १७ ॥"

~ŚB 7.8.17
Translation: To prove that the statement of His servant Prahlāda Mahārāja was substantial — in other words, to prove that the Supreme Lord is present everywhere, even within the pillar of an assembly hall — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, exhibited a wonderful form never before seen. The form was neither that of a man nor that of a lion. Thus the Lord appeared in His wonderful form in the assembly hall.

स सत्त्वमेनं परितो विपश्यन्
स्तम्भस्य मध्यादनुनिर्जिहानम् ।
नायं मृगो नापि नरो विचित्र-
महो किमेतन्नृमृगेन्द्ररूपम् ॥ १८ ॥

~ŚB 7.8.18

Translation: While Hiraṇyakaśipu looked all around to find the source of the sound, that wonderful form of the Lord, which could not be ascertained to be either a man or a lion, emerged from the pillar. In amazement, Hiraṇyakaśipu wondered, “What is this creature that is half man and half lion?”
Destruction of Hiranyakashipu

Lord Narasimha killed Hiranyakashipu while surpassing all the conditions of the boon.

i) Lord Narasimha was a half-man, half-lion, which is neither a man nor an animal.

ii) Lord Narasimha used his claw's nails to tear the demon's body, which is neither a live or dead weapon. Because nails aren't considered living or dead.

iii) Lord Narasimha killed the demon during the evening hours, which is neither day nor night. Neither inside nor outside the Palace.

iv) Lord Narasimha chose the edge of the assembly of the place, which is neither inside nor outside.

v) Lord Narasimha put the demon on his lap, which is neither on earth nor in the sky.
The way the Lord ended the demon king's life was truly horrible. It is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam,Canto 7, Chapter 8, as:

"संरम्भदुष्प्रेक्ष्यकराललोचनो
व्यात्ताननान्तं विलिहन्स्वजिह्वया ।
असृग्लवाक्तारुणकेशराननो
यथान्त्रमाली द्विपहत्यया हरि: ॥ ३० ॥"

~ŚB 7.8.30
Translation: Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva’s mouth and mane were sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nṛsiṁhadeva, decorated with a garland of intestines taken from Hiraṇyakaśipu’s abdomen, resembled a lion that has just killed an elephant.

Spiritual Lessons from Narasimha Lila

Divine Protection is unstoppable: The divine appearance of Lord Narasimha teaches us that when the bhakti is intense and pure like Prahlada, Lord Himself protects her/her form from every negativity.

False-ego is the key to self-harm: After getting the boon from Lord Brahma, Hiranyakashipu became arrogant. He thought of himself as superior to everyone in the three worlds. As a result, he started to harm the devotees and other innocent people to show off his powers. This led him to his destruction when the Lord finally appeared.

Every divine incarnation is purposeful: Lord Vishnu has a Dashavatar, and the Narasimha form is the fourth incarnation. Each of His divine forms has a purpose to accomplish. But the Narasimha form is the only divine incarnation that not only has a purpose to save his dear devotee.

Intense faith overcame the fear: In the Narasimha Lila, Hiranyakashipu tried many ways to kill him, but every time the Lord saved him. This could happen because Prahlada has intense faith towards the Lord, which is why he never felt the fear of death even seeing it with his own eyes.

Conclusion

The above Narasimha Lila isn't an ancient myth; it's the eternal truth. Every time a pure devotee is harmed or will be harmed, the Lord appears or will appear.